Our Trustees - Out & About on the Otago Peninsula

In a typical year we would endeavour to complete regional visits every quarter, however the ongoing impact of Covid-19 has made this  difficult over the last two years. 

It goes without saying that it was relief that our scheduled visits for December continued as planned and we enjoyed the visits we could complete in Dunedin.

An important part of our work at the Trust is to connect with our communities, understand the impact of our funding and see first-hand the developments occurring in the community and listen to the vision our community groups have for the future.

Trustees and staff had the privilege of heading down the Otago harbour on Tuesday afternoon to visit a couple of different community projects. It was a delight to be invited by the Marine Studies Centre to learn more about the “Aquavan”. The Aquavan brings live marine critters and touch pools to schools and communities, to create awareness and understanding of the connectivity between river health and the coastal environment.

It would be fair to say that we had some quite ‘big kids’ enjoy the experience also on Tuesday and developed a much clearer understanding of the valuable role this programme has empowering communities to regain their roles as guardians of their environment. Participants gain science understanding of the issues affecting their catchment and develop skills in environmental monitoring and knowledge mapping. Participation in environmental action highlights what they can do on a local level to improved environmental conditions.

Further down the peninsular we then had the pleasure of visiting Te Rauone Beach. The Te Rauone Beach Coast Care Committee, Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou and Port Otago have worked together for 10 years to restore and develop the beach amenity. The construction of three 90-metre long breakwater groynes were completed in February and the transformation of this area is quite remarkable. 

Otago Community Trust has approved two grants to support this important community project, a $180,000 grant in 2020 and more recently a $21,000 grant to support the playground development on the reserve behind the beach. It was great to see first hand the incredible transformation of this area.

We would like to extend a big ‘Thank You’ to Sally and her team at the Marine Science Otago and the legendary community champion Des Smith from the Te Rauone Beach Coast Care Committee. We appreciate the time taken out of your day to host our team.

It was rewarding to see what amazing work has been undertaken and the progress that has been made.